FFXIV:ARR – My Chocobo: A Guide to the Chocobo Companion

More than a mount

Chocobo Companions in FFXIV:ARR

The chocobo is one of the creatures ubiquitous to the Final Fantasy franchise. In previous games in the series, the chocobo is often (but not always) relegated to trusty mount. Final Fantasy XIV changes things up a bit, allowing your chocobo to serve as a battle companion, helping you in your adventuring.

Make no mistake, the chocobo remains useful as a mount. Indeed, your first experiences with your personal chocobo are limited to their riding functionality. You unlock mount ownership after completing your grand company membership quest, The Company You Keep (level 20). At that time you can earn a chocobo license after accumulating 2000 grand company seals.

Playing dress-up

One of the initial things you can do with your chocobo is change its appearance. This is done through the “gear” portion of the Companion menu. You find your companion menu via your character tab. In the center-top of the character menu is a small button that looks like a chocobo, click it and you get your companion menu.

The Gear options are at the bottom of the companion menu. There are three gear slots. One for the head, one body, and one lets. When you get a new set of barding, you use it from your inventory, this saves it to the companion gear system. From that point on, it remains as an option for your chocobo.

You can change out a piece of appearance gear by selecting that gear slot. This brings up a menu of the various barding choices you have acquired for that slot. Select the one you wish and the appearance gear is loaded.

Adventuring with your chocobo

At level 30 you can open the ability to use your chocobo as an adventuring companion. This requires completion of the quest, “My Feisty Little Chocobo,” given by Docette at Camp Tranquil in the South Shroud. You will also want to acquire some Gysahl Green to summon your chocobo.

These can be acquired at the merchant in Bentbranch or at any of the merchants who sell level 1 gear in Gridania, Ul’Dah, or Limsa Lominsa. In Ul’Dah, this merchant is outside the Quicksand Inn, right near the moogle mailbox. The greens can be found in the “tools” menu of the merchant.

Rulez, in comments below, points out that:

I was just shocked to hear that you get an 25% experience penalty with the companion out. Tested on a level 36 Ice Sprite in Coertas Central Highlands with my level 38 White Mage:

25% of 336 is about 85. So the 251 fits. I can’t really make sense of the 168 and just assume this is what the companion gains?

My assumption of Rulez observation is that the 25% “penalty” is actually the progress points gained by the chocobo. Assuming the penalty is in place, you need to decide when and where to bring out the Chocobo. Balance your leveling progress with its leveling progress.

Initially, you can only use your chocobo companion in “Free Stance,” which allows the companion to decide how it should behave in combat. However, as your chocobo levels up, you can buy points in the specialized roled of Defender, Attacker, and Healer.

Your chocobo levels up as you adventure. Each chocobo rank contribtues skill points (SP) which you can use to unlock chocbobo abilities along the three specialization trees.

Defender Stance

In this stance, your chocobo functions as a tank. The chocobo attempts to gain enmity on your target and prevent enemies from attacking you. Additionally, the chocobo gains additional hitpoints and defense as they specialize in this role. The abilities available in defense mode include:

Choco Drop – a 150 potency attack

Enhanced Strength – 5% strength trait

Increased hit points – 10% HP trait

Choco Kick – 130 potency attack with a slow effect

Enhanced Accuracy – 5% accuracy trait

Enhanced Critical Hit – 15% critical hit trait

Choco Guard – 15% damage reduction

Enhanced Strength – 5% strength trait

Increased hit points – 10% HP trait

Choco Strike – 150 potency cone attack

Attacker Stance

In this stance, your chocobo functions as a damage dealer. The chocobo contributes damage to the fight, but typically suffers from a lack of hitpoints. It is your responsibility to keep him safe and defended. The abilities available in attack mode include:

Choco Slash – a 150 potency attack

Enhanced Strength – a 5% strength trait

Increased HP – a 5% HP trait

Choco Beak – a 120 potency attack with a dot

Enhanced Accuracy – a 5% accuracy trait

Critical Hit Rate – a 15% critical hit trait

Choco Rush – a 130 potency attack with a stun

Enhanced Strength a 10% strength trait

Increased attack speed – 10% faster attacks

Choco Blast – a 170 potency cone attack

Healer Stance

In healer stance, your chocobo functions as a healer. While not as efficient as a player healer, the chocobo healer can go a long ways towards keeping you standing while soloing. The abilities available as you level up your healer mode chocobo include:

23 Responses to FFXIV:ARR – My Chocobo: A Guide to the Chocobo Companion

Can we respec our chocobo? I mean, atm I’m playing with a MRD so a healer is quite nive to have. But later, I will try out a THM so a tank seem awsome to have. So will I be able to respec my chocobo or do I have enough SP so it can do all jobs?

At this point I am not aware of a chocobo respec option. It may be that the chocobo can level up enough to eventually get all the abilities. Until then, though, you have to balance out your needs and pick the abilities and roles that make the most sense for your play. Chocobo levels don’t come quickly, either, particularly when playing your lower level roles.

Your understanding on this is correct. As your companion ranks up you’ll gain SP; however, the amount of SP you receive is limited, so it will not be possible to acquire every skill for all three stances (defender, attack, and healer). With that said, we’d like you to look into how you’d like to specialize your companion and focus on acquiring the skills you need to make that happen.”

How is everyone going about leveling the Chocobo alongside their characters?

Currently, I am focusing on the main story with my White Mage, while trying to save as many side- and levequests as I can for other classes. That means I never stay in a quest hub as the story sends me all over the world. Having the Chocobo out seems to limit my movement speed a lot, as I cannot mount at the same time. This is also annoying when trying to dash to a few Fates in a zone in short succession.

It feels like I should ignore leveling the companion for now, until I am done with the main story. Obviously, it’s choice of play-style. Or am I missing something else?

I really wonder if leveling the chocobo has any use beyond the gimmick…

It is litteraly taking ages to lvlup after rank 2 and I haven’t yet found a single situation where I said “well, I couldn’t have done this without my chocobo”. It seems like a lot of hard work for not much of a reward.

It is also specially annoying that when your chocobo is out, you can’t summon any of your other mounts to move around quickly….I could easily see the chocobo just following you.

Thanks, TheSwoosh. I have heard others indicate dissatisfaction with the Defensive Chocobo, frequently the inability to acquire and hold enmity being brought up. Right now it looks like the Attack Chocobo works well and the Healing chocobo is mediocre. The Defensive chocobo may not work well with high DPS classes.

I’m leveling as BLM and actually chose to level choco as healer and plan to later drop points into damage. I guess i just thought it would be pretty OP if it generated enough threat to hold off a BLM, so might as well get it to make me a little tankier instead. the level 1 hot is pretty weak, but if you think of it like an extra 250 or so hp then the bonus is alright.

The max heal skill looks a bit silly though. Why would you want a group heal when there’s only ever going to be the two of you?

I’ll probably get the last little bit to rank 4s targeted heal, then drop rank 5 into damage.

also –> one thing that has been really useful when using choco is this little sprint macro created by TomHeartsFeet;

basically it just casts your sprint, and soon as its off cool down casts it again. if you use another macro while its active its gonna reset it, but you can just hit sprint again to restart it. its still not gonna be as fast as a choco, but at least you dont need to constantly be attentive to your sprint timer. You can also add /macroicon “Sprint” to the first line, that’ll give you the sprint graphic.

You don’t have to focus on one line (tanking, attack, or healing). Your Companion will use any skill you have picked up. Selecting the different stances will change which skills it will use over others. The free stance will allow the Companion to pick which skills to use. You have enough points to max out one line, if you don’t pick up anything from the other lines.

I picked up the attack from the tank and dps line to see if both would be used. The Companion only uses one of the two attacks. It looks like it uses the dps attack in the free stance. It will heal and use the dps attack.

Sadly my legacy choco doesn’t keep ANY of his barding on when I use him as a mount–only as a companion. This has begun since I obtained the Black Mage barding. I know this is very necro but if anyone else has experienced this please let me know.